Hidden in Fur
by hitomi411
Summary: An AU, chaptered fic based on the Brothers Grimm fairy tale "Coat of a Thousand Furs."  Not that great with summaries, but open it up and see if you like.  R&R please!


**A/N:** So this is my first attempt at posting a chaptered fic, let me know what you think. I've been working on this as part of my Honors Thesis at college, so I have the first few chapters written, but it's slow going. I'd really like to hear any input you all have to share, just no flames please!

**Disclaimer**: No, I do not own the origins of this fairy tale (though to tell the truth, no one seems to know the real origins, I've seen about a dozen different versions from various countries…) I am not making any sort of profit from this, etc. etc.

Now for the good stuff!

Prologue

"Tell me the story Mindy," Sophia begged as she snuggled in to the covers of her bed. "I want to hear the story."

"Alright, just lie still now," Mindy answered. "Now let's see, how does it go?" She paused, one finger tapping at her lips as she gathered her thoughts. "There were once three little pigs—"

"Not that story. The one about Papa and how he met my mother." Sophia looked at Mindy rather indignantly, arms crossed across her chest and a scowl adorning her tiny lips. There was only one story she ever wanted to hear, and Mindy knew perfectly well which one it was.

"Calm down, child, you'll get your story." She gently tucked Sophia back into bed, absently smoothing the girl's head as she let her mind go back to the days when everyone feared the king might never marry, that he would never produce an heir for the kingdom.

When King Tristan was in his youth, he cared for nothing more than hunting and the arts of war. No beast could stand against his might. He could follow the tracks of the smallest mouse, beat down even the strongest lion. Or so they said. No baron or count trying to rise up in rebellion could withstand his army for more than three days. He personally trained all of the highest-ranking officers in the Royal Army of Malvina. With all twelve of the officers working together, people believed the Royal Army to be the strongest in the world. With the king as its leader, people believed it to be the strongest in all of history.

Eventually, quelling meaningless rebellions became little more than an inconvenience to King Tristan. And so he nearly turned his sights to the neighboring kingdoms of Abidan, Kallias, and Dara. Before any real skirmishes could take place, the king's counselors stepped in. Tristan had taken up his title just days after his sixteenth birthday, when the old king suffered from an unfortunate fall from his horse, which broke his neck and he died. He was now nearing thirty and showed no signs of wanting to find a companion to fill the empty throne at his side. Plenty of women threw themselves at him, desperate for the power of a queen—his queen. Others were forced to throw themselves onto him, driven by parents wanting wealth, power, and recognition throughout the kingdom. None of these women pleased him or tempted him in the least.

The Royal Advisors finally decided to take action and ensure the king had the chance to meet a woman who might become his queen. They planned out a tour of the entire kingdom, with stops at the house of every eligible lady between the ages of fifteen and thirty. Of course, they purposely forgot to mention such things to the king. Instead, they insisted that a tour of the kingdom should be conducted before partaking in any wars, that such a survey could only make the kingdom stronger than ever. Knowing of the king's bloodlust and eagerness for battle, they promised that such a grand showing would be sure to inspire young men to join his army and fight for the kingdom. They even tempted him with the chance to hunt in every part of the country, the chance to track and kill one of every animal in the kingdom. Such a feat had never been accomplished, and the king could barely contain his eagerness to depart, much to the Counsel's satisfaction.

And so began what would later be known as the First Great Tour. Every two years after that, another tour of the kingdom would take place. King Tristan eagerly sought out one animal after another, and the young men saw him and knew that it would be a great honor to serve in his army and fight at his side. And each night, the advisor in attendance would anxiously watch as the daughter of the household was presented to the king, only to receive nothing more than the customary greeting and not even a hint of interest. No one could understand the king's complete lack of enthusiasm. Blondes, brunettes, redheads. Fair skin, tan skin. Thin, voluptuous. Kind girls, sweet girls, rich girls, sly girls, funny girls. Not one girl, no matter how appealing, could draw the king away from his horse and weapons.

The tour was coming to a close, with only three stops left before returning to the capital. King Tristan arrived at the house of one of Malvina's lesser nobles, Baron Alexander of Lanby. The Counsel had high hopes for this household, but were hesitant to trust in that hope. They'd had hopes with the other girls, only to see one after another ignored and overlooked. None of the advisors knew that even the king had heard the rumors of Baron Alexander's daughter. Everyone referred to the Lady Viviane as the most beautiful woman in the world. Sapphires looked like painted rock when compared to her vibrant blue eyes. The sun wished only to highlight her beauty and never dared to burn her fair skin. The legendary waterfall of Dara became nothing more than a pile of rocks next to the luxuriant waves of her dark hair, cascading down her back. The advisors heard these tales of beauty and tried to quench the last stirrings of hope; the king heard these stories and found himself intrigued, for the first time in his life, by something other than fighting and the sword.

The arrival of the king and his entourage went the same as it had at every other household. King Tristan arrived, greeted the baron, and insisted a rest was unnecessary before setting out for the hunt. At Baron Alexander's, the goal of the hunt was a rare breed of wildcat that only three men in the history of Malvina had ever managed to kill. The king had not failed in any of his hunts throughout the tour, and he did not fail here. In fact, to this day King Tristan is still the only man to ever take down a Lanby wildcat in just a single day. He returned to the Barony, triumphantly bearing his prize and ready to eat the meal he knew had been prepared.

Before the meal could begin, the Baron introduced his family to the king. First his wife, the Lady Eleanor. Then his son, his daughter-in-law, and his grandson. They each received a polite greeting and thanks for receiving the king and his company into their home for the night. Then the Baron introduced his only daughter, Viviane of Lanby. Everyone expected Viviane to fall in love with the king the moment she laid eyes on him; the same had happened with every girl before her, so it surprised no one to see the friendly smile on her lips morph into something more intimate and adoring. It surprised everyone to see the king return Viviane's smile with one exactly like it.

"They fell in love at first sight, didn't they Mindy?" Sophie exclaimed, knowing every word of the story by heart. Of course, since she insisted on the same bedtime story each night, it would be more shocking if she couldn't tell every line of it herself.

"Yes, they fell in love dearest." Mindy smiled at her charge. There would come a time when stories of instant, powerful love would no longer amuse and entertain the little princess, and Mindy would do everything in her power to keep that day far in the future. "Now stop that bouncing and lay back down, you're supposed to be going to _sleep_."

Despite Mindy's efforts to subdue her, Sophie managed to escape the bed and scamper about the room, exclaiming about the beauty of the story. "Papa never even looked at anyone else, did he Mindy? It's like he and Mother were just waiting for each other. Isn't it wonderful Mindy?"

She twirled about, grinning at Mindy as she pretended to be her mother, dancing with her father on the night they met. Such playacting was one of her favorite games. Mindy just shook her head and went after her charge, wrestling her into bed amidst vigorous protests.

"But I can't go to bed yet, you haven't even finished the story." Sophie was an expert at getting Mindy to let her stay up past bedtime. It usually involved prolonging her favorite story as much as possible.

"I'll finish the story if you promise not to leave that bed again," Mindy told her, an arched eyebrow promising punishment if Sophie continued her antics.

Sophie nodded her head, slow and hesitant, but promising nonetheless. She was promptly rewarded with a warm hug, a soft kiss on her forehead, and the covers being tucked gently around her tiring body.

Sophie took up the tale again, her voice calm and soothing as it retold how Sophie's parents came together. "King Tristan and Lady Viviane knew instantly that nothing else in the world could ever compare to the love they felt for one another. They talked only with each other the whole night, never noticing the stares that followed them. Several people tried to join their conversation, but they only heard the words coming from the lips that entranced them. After dinner, the music began and they danced. No couple ever looked so perfect together. Their steps flowed together as if they shared a mind or as if their bodies had somehow come together and become one. Everyone saw their love and knew they saw the stuff of legends, the kind of love that no one truly believes in without seeing it firsthand."

"But I've seen it, haven't I Mindy? I get to see it everyday." Sophie paused before whispering so that Mindy almost didn't hear, "Or at least every day that I actually see them."

Mindy ignored the mumbling. Acknowledging such things brought nothing but trouble and misery and the impending end of innocence. Mindy simply rubbed her thumb across the hand she held and continued. "The king asked Baron Alexander to return to the capital with him, and to bring his family. The baron agreed instantly, knowing the request could only be followed by good news. Sure enough, King Tristan and Lady Viviane were engaged just days after arriving."

"And they had the best wedding ever and everyone came and they loved each other more than the world, right?" Sophie knew the answer to this question, and yet it hadn't stopped her from asking it, just as she had on many other nights. The smile still hovered on her lips, but her eyes were serious, waiting, needing Mindy to confirm what she already knew.

"Yes dear. King Tristan married Lady Viviane and she became Queen Viviane. And everyone agreed it was the most beautiful wedding they had ever seen, and no couple had ever been more in love." Mindy patted the hand she'd been holding, whispered a soft, "goodnight little one," blew out the candles and began to leave the room.

As she opened the door, Sophie called out, "wait, that's not the end of the story either."

Mindy turned around, one hand still holding the open door. "No princess, that's not the end. They lived happily ever after, and are still living happily ever after."

"And they had me, right?" Sophie asked. "They had their own little princess, and they named her Sophie."

Mindy couldn't see Sophie in the darkness, but she knew that the girl was not smiling anymore. "Yes princess, they had a beautiful daughter and they love her very much. Now go to sleep." Mindy paused, waiting for an answer, but after several seconds, she knew it wouldn't come. So she left, closed the door behind her, and went in search of her own bed.


End file.
